Foldable support for beverage container

Abstract

A holder for beverage containers has a back panel flanged for flush mounting on an upstanding support surface and a pivoting base panel and clamp member pivotable between forward extending use positions wherein they can support and grip a beverage container, and a folded non-use position. Movement between these positions is resiliently resisted by a generally square pin-in-hole connection surrounded by circumferentially spaced slots spaced from corresponding edges of the holes by thin, resiliently bendable, leaves deflectable by corners on the pins.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
       1. An article holder mountable on an upwardly extending surface, said holder comprising: a back panel adapted to be fixed with respect to an upwardly extending surface;   a base panel moveable with respect to said back panel between an open position extending outwardly from said back panel and a closed position overlying said back panel;   a clamp member for engaging and holding a beverage container, said clamp member being moveable with respect to said back panel for pivotal movement between a storage position between the closed base panel and said back panel and an erected position extending outwardly from said back panel and spaced from the open position of said base panel;   hinge means for pivotally supporting a movable member with respect to said back panel, said moveable member constituting at least one of said base panel and clamp member, said hinge means comprising a pin-rotatable-in-hole means for pivotally supporting said moveable member for rotation about a rotational axis with respect to said back panel, said pin-rotatable-in-hole means comprising pin means on one of said moveable member and back panel and hole means on the other of said moveable member and back panel, at least of one of said pin means and hole means having means associated therewith and interactive with the other of said pin means and hole means for positively holding said moveable member in a first position with respect to said back panel and for resiliently distorting in response to forcible manual pivoting of said moveable member with respect to said back panel about said rotational axis for pivoting of said moveable member out of said first position and toward a second position with respect to said back panel, said pin means comprising a pin and said hole means comprises a hole for receiving said pin, said resiliently distorting means comprising a radially resiliently distortable means on a perimeter of one of said pin and hole, protruding means on the perimeter of the other of said pin and hole and engageable with said resiliently distorting means for resiliently distorting same and thereby for allowing rotation of said pin with respect to said hole.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said moveable member is said base panel and said first position is at least of one of said open position and closed position of said base panel. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which said open position constitutes one said first position and said closed position constitutes a second said first position, said second position being intermediate between said open and closed positions of said base panel. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said moveable member is said clamp member and said first position is one of said storage position and erected position of said clamp member. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which said storage position is one said first position and said erected position is a second said first position and said second position is intermediate said storage and erected positions. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said resiliently distorting means comprises a chordally disposed resilient leaf at the perimeter of said hole, said pin having a radial protrusion rotatable into engagement with said resilient leaf for pushing said resilient leaf radially outward sufficient to allow rotation of said protrusion there past, said protrusion defining said protruding means. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which said pin has a perimeter which includes first and second flats flanking said protrusion and alternatively opposable radially to said chordal leaf to hold said moveable member in said first position. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said pin has a plurality of circumferentially spaced flats, said hole having a perimeter with a corresponding plurality of circumferentially spaced flats, said pin being rotationally fixed with one of its flats opposing a corresponding flat on the perimeter of said hole, slots parallel to and close spaced radially outward from said flats of said hole to define between each said slot and said hole a resilient leaf resiliently outwardly deflectable to permit rotation of said pin and said hole, said leaf defining said resiliently distorting means. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 8 in which several said slots are circumferentially spaced end to end around said hole and the circumferential length of a given slot approximates the length of the corresponding flat of said hole. 
     
     
       10. An article holder mountable on an upwardly extending surface, said holder comprising; a back panel adapted to be fixed with respect to the surface;   a base panel moveable with respect to said back panel between an open position extending outwardly from the back panel on a closed position overlying said back panel;   a clamp member for engaging and holding a beverage container, said clamp member being moveable with respect to said back panel for pivotal movement between a storage position between the closed based panel and said back panel and an erected position extending outwardly from said back panel and spaced from the open position of said base panel, said back panel having a side opposing at least one of said based panel and clamp member, a moveable member defined by at least of one of said base panel and clamp member, a pin protruding from said moveable member towards said side and means defining a hole in said side and rotatably receiving said pin therein, said pin and hole being of substantially square, corresponding cross-section defined by circumferentially alternating facets and corners, said corners of the square cross-section of at least said pin being relieved, means defining slots through said side parallel to and close spaced radially outward from said facets of the square cross-section of the hole, each said slot and the radially opposed facet of the hole defining therebetween a resilient, chordally extending leaf having at least a central portion resiliently deflectable outwardly to permit but resiliently resist rotation therepast of a said relieved corner of said pin, said leaves cooperating to tend to positively locate said pin in either of at least two circumferential orientations spaced at 90° circumferentially from each other but to permit rotation of said pin in said hole given a sufficient torque on said pin to deflect said leaf radially outward into said radially opposed slot.   
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which said movable member comprises said clamp member, said clamp member having a pair of said pins extending axially in opposite directions therefrom into corresponding ones of said holes in corresponding ones of said sides of said back panel for positively locating said clamp member in said storage and erected positions thereof and resiliently permitting rotation of said clamp member back and forth between said positions. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of claim 10 in which said movable member comprises said base panel, said base panel having oppositely extending ones of said pins rotatable in opposed ones of said holes in opposite ones of said sides of said back panel for positively locating said base panel in its open and closed positions and resiliently permitting pivoting of said base panel back and forth between said positions. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of claim 10 in which said back panel has a back wall behind and opposing said movable member, a substantially U-shaped cut in said back wall leaving a cantilevered, leaf spring-like, segment of said back wall in leaf spring-like engagement with an adjacent opposed portion of said movable member, said movable member being supported by an opposed pair of said pins engageable in corresponding holes in laterally opposed sides on said back panel, said spring-like back wall segment cooperating with said pins and holes to positively locate said movable member in alternate fixed positions and further cooperating therewith for resiliently permitting pivoting of said movable member between such fixed positions. 
     
     
       14. A beverage container holder mountable on an upstanding surface, said holder comprising: a back panel mountable fixedly on an upstanding surface and having an upstanding back wall and laterally opposed sides, and holes in said sides and laterally opposed across said back panel;   a beverage container engaging pivoting member extending between and pivotally mounted with respect to said holes, said pivoting member having a stowed position in which it folds parallel to said back wall and an alternate beverage container stabilizing position in which it extends forward from said back wall;   said back panel being a molded member and having molded therein a plate-like, resiliently bendable leaf, at least one end of said leaf being integrally connected with said back panel, said leaf having ends connected by side edges and side faces, said side edges and side faces being resiliently movable with respect to said back panel, said side faces being resiliently bendable;   said pivoting member having angled first and second faces substantially rigidly connected by a corner, said pivoting member in its said stowed position having its first face pressed flat against said leaf, and in its beverage container stabilizing position having its second face pressed flat against said leaf to maintain said pivoting member reliably fixed alternatively in said stowed and beverage container stabilizing positions, said pivoting member having a position intermediate said stowed and beverage container stabilizing positions in which its said corner forcibly depresses said leaf out of its way so said pivoting member can pivot between its said stowed and beverage container stabilizing positions, said pivoting member having laterally outwardly extending pins pivotable in said holes for pivoting of said pivoting member between said stowed and stabilizing positions, said pins having angled, circumferentially spaced flats connected by said corner and constituting said angled first and second faces, said leaf chordally bounding a portion of at least one of said holes, a slot through said back panel side, said leaf separating said slot from said hole, said leaf being fixed at its opposite ends integrally with the corresponding side of said back panel, a middle portion of said leaf being resiliently bendable by said corner as said corner with said pivoting member pivots, whereby engagement of said pin in said hole resiliently resists movement of said pivoting member between its stowed and beverage container stabilizing positions.   
     
     
       15. The apparatus of claim 14 in which said pins are substantially square in cross section, each having four said corners connected circumferentially by four said flats, said corners being rounded convexly to facilitate sliding on and depressing said middle portion of said leaf, said holes each having four circumferentially distributed ones of said leaves so as to be substantially square in shape, said holes being surrounded by four circumferentially spaced ones of said slots, said corners, faces, leaves and slots being distributed circumferentially substantially at 90° intervals. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of claim 15 in which said slots and leaves have a thickness of about one-seventh the minimum width of said holes, the minimum width of said pins and holes being about the same so that said pins fit snug in said holes in the stowed and beverage container stabilizing positions of said pivoting member. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of claim 16 in which said pivoting member has a back edge portion from which said pins extend endwise and which extends between said sides of said back panel, said back edge portion of said pivoting member also having angled further first and second faces connected by a further corner, said further first and second faces and corner extending laterally with respect to said back panel substantially from side to side thereof, at least one further said leaf, said further leaf being molded integrally with the back wall of said back panel the integrally connected end of said further leaf being located near the center of said back panel, the remainder of said further leaf extending from the central portion of said back panel toward one of a top or bottom edge thereof, said beverage container engaging member being located adjacent said one back panel edge, said further leaf having its remaining end free of said back panel, said laterally extending back edge portion of said pivoting member being positionable alternatively with its first and second faces and corner against said free end of said further leaf for holding said pivoting member reliably fixed in its alternative stowed and beverage container stabilizing positions yet resiliently permitting pivoting of said pivoting member from one said position to the other by bending of said further leaf by said corner of said back portion of said pivoting member, such that engagement of said pins in said holes cooperates with engagement of said further leaf on the back portion of said pivoting member to maintain said pivoting member reliably fixed alternately in its stowed and beverage container stabilizing positions yet resiliently permit said pivoting member to be forcibly pivoted from one of said stowed and stabilizing positions to the other. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of claim 17 in which said holder has two said pivoting members, one of said pivoting members comprising a pair of arms slidable toward and away from each other for accommodating the width of differently sized beverage containers and which is located adjacent the top of said back panel for folding downward into a forward opening interior of said back panel, the other of said pivoting members comprising a cover pivoted adjacent the bottom of said back panel and pivotable upwardly to a position flush with the front of said back panel to cover the folded arms and enclose same between said cover and said back wall of said back panel, said back panel being shaped as a substantially rectangular, forwardly opening box of shallow depth and having a planar front flange along the front thereof so that the sides and back wall of said back panel can be recessed in an upstanding surface, with said front flange bearing on the front of such upstanding surface and such that said holes, pins and further leaf are all behind said front flange and hence hidden by said front flange and upstanding surface when the holder is installed in such upstanding surface.